CEDAR CITY — Facing severe drought conditions, Cedar City requests support from citizens to conserve water and allow the city’s water infrastructure to recharge.
At a Cedar City Council meeting earlier this month, City Water Superintendent Robbie Mitchell proposed implementing a voluntary water restriction schedule. He said starting the schedule now will allow citizens to begin conserving water and program their irrigation system clocks.
“Because a lot of people, once they’ve programmed them, they don’t like to change them,” he said.
Mitchell said if this year is similar to last, water will be “tight,” and citizens will need to be mindful and aware. Councilmember R. Scott Philips said Weber Basin has already begun implementing water restrictions.
“I think we’re smart in doing this now, from the get-go,” he said.
According to the resolution, houses with even-numbered addresses will water Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Those with odd-numbered addresses will water Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. No citizens will water Sundays.
The resolution is in addition to current water restrictions which require all watering to take place before 8 a.m and after 6 p.m., April 1 to Oct. 31. These restrictions apply to those using culinary water, which typically includes residential, business and industrial connections, according to Chapter 37 of Cedar City’s ordinances.
City and public facilities, as well as those that use secondary water sources for irrigation, are exempt, according to the resolution document.
Secondary water includes all non-potable water supplied through Cedar City’s waterworks system, according to city ordinances.
Phillips said he’s previously received calls from citizens concerned that Southern Utah University or Cedar City Cemetary water their grass during the day. He noted that these two organizations are among those that use secondary water sources. Other facilities using secondary water include schools, golf courses and city recreational facilities, according to city ordinances.
Citizens who have planted new seed or sod may request the Cedar City Water Department grant a two-week exemption starting the date of planting.
The schedule will be evaluated on an ongoing basis through summer and is expected to remain in effect until Sept. 30.
“If these voluntary restrictions are not effective in conserving water and recharging water infrastructure, the City may determine that these water restrictions will need to be made mandatory,” the resolution states.
Iron County posted the driest year yet in 128 years and the driest February to date during the same time period, according to the resolution.
“The State of Utah is facing drought conditions with 96.9% of the state in a severe drought situation as monitored by the National Drought Mitigation Center, the USDA and NOAA,” the resolution states.
The resolution was passed unanimously on Wednesday and immediately took effect. Phillips was excused from the meeting and did not vote.
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